RFI_72061719_Fleet_Management_Uganda_Ministry_of__Health_Activity.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RFI Number: RFI_72061719_Fleet_Management_Uganda_Ministry_of_ Health_Activity

Agency Name: USAID/Uganda Issuance Date: February 28, 2019 Response Due Date: March 18, 2019, 4:00 pm (East African Time (GMT +3) Response to: kampalausaidsolicita@usaid.gov

Subject: USAID’s Fleet Management for Uganda Ministry of Health

Activity

A. DESCRIPTION

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 – Market Research, USAID/Uganda is seeking expressions of interest and capability statements to conduct an assessment of fleet management needs, assistance with SOW development and implementation of a fleet management system.

B. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NOTICE ONLY.

This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This Notice does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, USAID/Uganda is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. USAID does not intend to award a contract based solely on a submission in response to this Request for Information. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this Notice;

any/all costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any, is issued. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor this site for the release of any synopsis/solicitation or further information and updates.

C. Submission Instructions

Interested parties must submit all comments concerning this Request for Information in writing to kampalausaidsolicita@usaid.gov, by March 18, 2019 at 4:00 pm (East African Time (GMT +3). Comments sent to any other e-mail address will not be considered. Please also denote in your submission whether you are a U.S. Small Business (8(a) etc.) or a local Ugandan organization. The email transmitting the comments must reference the RFI number RFI_72061719_Fleet_Management_Uganda_Ministry_of_Health_Activity and title USAID’s Fleet Management for Uganda Ministry of Health Activity. Submissions shall use Times New Romans Font Size 12, single-spaced pages for all documents; each page must be numbered consecutively and should not exceed 20 pages. Responses should be in line with addressing concerns raised under the Components listed under the objectives. The Government is not responsible for and will not accept any responses submitted after the specified date and time.

mailto:kampalausaidsolicita@usaid.gov mailto:kampalausaidsolicita@usaid.gov

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Title: USAID’s Fleet Management for Uganda Ministry of Health Activity

Principle Place of Performance: The work to be performed under this contract will be performed primarily in the Government of Uganda Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.

Background

The Government of Uganda Ministry of Health (MOH) leadership, as well as the President of the Republic of Uganda made clear their intentions to improve the performance of the MOH to address government accountability for results. The Minister of Health and the Permanent Secretary requested USAID assistance to resolve some key management issues that undermine MOH credibility and ability to deliver better healthcare to Ugandans. One component of this request was for USAID to provide a definitive and lasting solution for MOH fleet management.

These systemic challenges present an opportunity for improvement, and will go a long way in ensuring better accountability and effective use of the merger resources at the MOH.

USAID is also cognizant of the human resource constraints at the MOH that hinder effective management and oversight of MOH’s vast portfolio including fleet management.

USAID proposes to support the MOH through the design and implementation of a fleet management assessment and fleet management system. It contributes to two key intermediate result (IR) areas; Sub-IR 1.1 Improved capacity of national accountability institutions to support local governance and Sub-IR 1.2. Strengthened national stakeholder policy collaboration and dialogue on LG accountability, financing, and service management.

Objectives:

The goal of USAID’s Fleet Management for the Government of Uganda Ministry of Health Activity is to improve transparency and management of Ministry of Health (MOH’s) vehicle fleet to minimize inefficiencies allowing for better monitoring of assets and sites under the jurisdiction by MOH resulting in better healthcare for the Ugandan people.

• Component 1: An assessment of the existing fleet management system (Small business set-aside desired)

• Component 2: Expert in vehicles and fleet management to assist with writing scope of work for Fleet Management system as outlined in Component 3 (Small business set-aside desired)

• Component 3: Provide a Fleet Management System for the Government of Uganda Ministry of Health

Scope:

The Ministry of Health (MOH) currently has a large fleet of vehicles deployed all over the country and at its Headquarters. MOH’s vehicle fleet is one of its most important assets – it currently has a headquarters inventory of approximately 260 vehicles with an estimated value of 15 billion Uganda Shilling (UGX) or $4,166,667 (USD).

*NOTE: Due to the potential for conflict of interest – it is envisioned that contractor’s bidding on Component 1 (Assessment) and Component 2: (SOW writing and oversight) will be precluded from bidding on Component 3 (Fleet Management System).

Component 1: An assessment of the existing fleet management system (Small business set-aside desired)*

The Ugandan Ministry of Health (MOH) expressed concerns with the ability of its current system for managing and tracking its fleet of vehicles to maintain accountability and ensure efficient and proper use of resources. Highlighted concerns include poor record keeping, lack of transparency and high maintenance costs. An assessment will analyze the current policies, systems and practices for tracking and management to identify gaps and barriers to effective implementation as well as potential vulnerabilities that may enable fraud and misuse to occur. Based on the findings of the assessment, the contractor will provide recommendations to increase accountability in the fleet management system while optimizing efficiency and effectiveness.

Component 2: Expert in vehicles and fleet management to assist with writing scope of work for Component 3 and provide independent project management support to roll out the fleet management component. (Small business set-aside desired)*

The MOH’s fleet management system should maintain compliance with MOH policies and procedures for the proper acquisition, accountability, utilization and protection of MOH property. The system should maximize vehicle accountability to reduce vehicle misuse thereby improving efficiency through reductions in fuel-related and maintenance or usage costs. Additionally, the management system should efficiently track all vehicles to manage preventive maintenance and repairs which improve the effectiveness of the vehicles and reduce overall program costs.

The contractor will work with USAID and the Minister of Health, Permanent Secretary (PS) or their designee to develop a scope of work and specifications for a new system that fosters greater accountability within the MOH.

Contractor will involve end user fleet management expert to deal with transparency challenges that may be encountered in the process of assessing the system and to encounter and manage resistance. This team will assess the MOH fleet management process to determine whether the current fleet management system maintains complete and accurate records relating to each vehicle and whether the current fleet management system has the capacity to prevent, detect and report any misuse of vehicles and track fraud, waste and abuse.

The team will help facilitate drafting of a scope of work (SOW) that incorporates specific recommendations to improve each of the following areas: vehicle tracking, vehicle usage and custody, vehicle maintenance and repairs, and fuel consumption. The recommendations to improve these areas of the fleet management system will contribute to increased efficiency and effectiveness, including reduced usage and maintenance costs and improved vehicle availability. (See Component 3 description for additional detail regarding envisioned system).

The contractor will provide a vehicle/fleet management expert to assist the USAID Contracting Officers Representative (COR) to monitor roll out the fleet system (Component

3) and provide technical expertise and guidance.

Component 3: Provide a Fleet Management System for the Uganda Ministry of Health

Contractor will design, implement and train key Ministry of Health (MOH) staff on the role out of a new fleet management plan and computerized fleet management system to facilitate quick analysis of maintenance data, fuel management, vehicle tracking and disposition. The fleet management plan should address all long-range strategic and business aspects of owning, operating and disposing of vehicles. The computer based fleet management information system should help track, analyze and provide reports necessary to ensure accurate and timely decision making to optimize fleet performance and enhance accountability while lowering down time and maintenance costs.

The database should help MOH to: maintain inventory, manage proper maintenance, identify and analyze high-cost vehicles, develop reports for regulatory compliance monitor vehicle use and establish vehicle-replacement cycles in conformance with Government of Uganda standards.

Illustrative Module Needs Include:

• Vehicle Acquisition o Currently procurement is inefficient in procuring new vehicles to replace old vehicles in poor mechanical condition.

o Ensure that engine capacities for vehicles in the Ministry’s fleet comply with the standard capacities for GOU vehicles stipulated in Establishment notice no.1 of 2003 and other GOU regulations.

• Asset Management/Budgeting & Finance o Need system for vehicle tracking so that MOH knows whether its resources are at headquarters or in the field.

o Revitalization of Motor pool/ vehicle allocation system – there is a need to follow MOH regulations to create a designated ministry pool of vehicles for general users (excluding Entitled Officers).

o It is important for MOH to understand the costs of owning and operating a fleet so that the Ministry of Health can make informed financial decisions. Financial statements should be developed that capture all costs, including labor, supplies, fuel, depreciation, and overhead (indirect costs) attributed to the fleet. This will help facilitate that adequate funding is provided for maintenance of the Ministry vehicles.

• Maintenance and Repair o Need aid in barcoding (or similar technology) tracking fleet size, usage and utilization of the vehicles.

o Maintenance history of the vehicle. Create log book for every vehicle (currently does not exist) o Prevent vehicles in poor mechanical condition from remaining in the fleet.

o System for centralization of vehicle maintenance Vehicles should be presented to the Ministry of Works and Transport

(MoWT) for Pre-repair and post re-repair inspection so as to review diagnosis of vehicle faults before repair works and quality of work done after repair works respectively.

o Guidance on whether to do maintenance in house or outsource. If outsourced, create a standard for grading local garages.

All prequalified garages of the MOH should be annually inspected in conjunction with MoWT.

• Fuel Management o System should log fuel usage per vehicle and help track irregularities to mitigate fraud, waste and abuse.

• Accident Management o System for managing accident reporting and impact on vehicle.

o Increase traffic safety for MOH drivers.

o Reduction in accident management expenses.

o Reduction in total miles driven leading to less annual vehicle purchases.

o Increase vehicle uptime.

• Vehicle Remarketing / Disposition o There is a need for tracking vehicles to make sure they are disposed of in a timely fashion to prevent very old cars in poor mechanical condition from remaining in the fleet. The proper replacement of vehicles should minimize costs and assure safety. Analysis should consider depreciation, maintenance, fuel consumption, vehicle-preparation costs, overhead and resale value.

• Reporting Module o Ensure recording and compiling of data and analysis of vehicle information from time of acquisition to disposition to allow for better budgeting, monitoring and oversight.

• Work Order Module o Comprehensive repair order system that can create work orders, check lists, posting of parts/labor/tires/warranty.

o Should be able to track mechanics and technicians and measure time standards against actual work time on jobs.

• Behavior Change Component/ Training o Help the PS for Health establish an allocation committee for proper governance, management and deployment of the system. Provide training to specified end users (which may include but are not limited to: top management, fleet manager, motor pool supervisor, head mechanic).

• Employee Management Module o Tracks mechanics, drivers and other shop personnel. Mechanics are tracked via the work order system as well with each hour of work being recorded.

Additionally, indirect labor can also be tracked and reported on. Certifications can also be tracked.

• Dashboards o Comprehensive dashboard tool that can customize for each user in the fleet.

Benefits: USAID/Uganda will assist MOH procurement and installation of a vehicle fleet inventory and operational cost data into a single web based application. The intent is to improve the vehicle fleet management and increase efficiency with annual and quarterly reporting requirements including the provision of budgetary data on vehicle replacement requirements for headquarter based MOH vehicles. The software will also track all the centrally based MOH vehicles.

The new system should foster greater accountability within the MOH for oversight of its fleet of vehicles. The new system will identify specific measures and indicators to reduce fraud, waste and abuse. The contractor will work with USAID and the Minister of Health, Permanent Secretary (or their designee) to ensure that the new system complies with all GOU standards and regulations.

The MOH will provide access to USAID and the contractor access to relevant departments within the MOH, as necessary, including information technology systems, personnel, and documentation deemed essential to effectively assist in establishing an accountable fleet management system within the MOH.

The contractor will support the training of staff in the MOH to track and monitor vehicles within the MOH’s motor pool, as well as verify maintenance records and all expenses related to fleet management.

Illustrative Major Milestones

Completion Description/Deliverable 00-00-00 Business Case and Functional Analysis 00-00-00 Software Review Approval 00-00-00 Request for Proposals 00-00-00 Acceptance of USAID-GOU Implementation Letter 00-00-00 Signed by both parties MOH-USAID 00-00-00 Design phase 00-00-00 Program Design Meeting with MOH/USAID/Contractor 00-00-00 Vehicle inventory database loaded into Web application and users identified.

00-00-00 Application demo using MOH data 00-00-00 Refine MOH structure to meet Web application requirements 00-00-00 MOH Users trained 00-00-00 Fleet Management System Goes Live 00-00-00 Continued Training and Support to facilitate user adaptation and sustainability.